Up, up and away as world’s first flying car airport revealed
THE world’s first airport for ‘flying cars’ and autonomous delivery drones could be launched in Coventry later this year.
Air-One has been designed to transform urban transport, allowing so-called air taxis and electric drones to land and recharge.
It has been developed for the forthcoming ‘urban air mobility’ revolution which is estimated to be worth almost £1 trillion over the next 20 years as companies invest in electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft and the infrastructure it requires.
Though flying cars have been a Hollywood sci-fi fantasy for years, manufacturers have begun designing early concepts for future airborne transport.
GM recently revealed a concept for an autonomous single-seat eVTOL. The firm said it would be powered by a 90kWh battery for shortdistance travel, reaching a top speed of 56 mph.
Ricky Sandhu, founder and executive chairman of Urban Air Port, said: “Cars need roads. Trains need rails. Planes need airports. eVTOLs will need Urban Air Ports.
“Over a 100 years ago, the world’s first commercial flight took off, creating the modern connected world.
“Urban Air Port will improve connectivity across our cities, boost productivity and help the UK to take the lead in a whole new clean global economy.
“Flying cars used to be a futuristic flight of fancy. Air-One will bring clean urban air transport to the masses and unleash a new airborne world of zero emission mobility.”
The zero-emission venture has been backed by Hyundai Motor Group which plans to have commercialised its own flying vehicles by 2028.
Coventry City Council and the UK Government are also supporting the world first, which will be located next to the city’s Ricoh Arena.
It can be operated off-grid and can also be integrated with electric vehicles and sustainable public transport.
The airport – which is around 60 per cent smaller than a heliport – will be the first of more than 200 zero emission sites Urban Air Port plans to install worldwide over the next five years in response to global demand.